Atlanta, GA vs Boulder, CO
Moving from Atlanta to Boulder? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $727,954 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Boulder at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Atlanta, GA, you'd need about $100,132 in Boulder, CO (+$132).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Boulder, CO: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 1,305 sqft in Boulder ($187 vs $383 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Boulder, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $27,084 | +$5,004 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $4,814 | −$112 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $4,050 | +$535 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,788 | +$132 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $2,800 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $10,679 | +$146 |
| Total | $44,810 | $51,214 | +$6,404 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Boulder, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 100.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 4.41% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 3.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $727,954 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 7.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | -2.6% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $383 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $2,257 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 0.53% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |